She
by Liesel Meminger
Summary: He watched as the students walked by in front of him; no matter how many they were, they would never make him forget about her. One-shot, kinda pointless.


**FanFic 100 Challenge – 085 - She**

He watched as the students walked by in front of him; they were laughing, chatting, smiling. It was their last day of school, they had the right to be happy, relieved. The grounds were filled mainly by the boys, because many of the girls had already gone to prepare themselves for the graduation ball. All the girls, except for her; she didn't care much for these things, and she didn't need hours to get ready. She'd be beautiful in anything she wore, though she never seemed to know that.

He hided behind a tree, not wanting her to notice he'd been staring. _What a fool you must look_, he thought, _peering on a student_. And that was when realization hit him like a ton of bricks: she was just a student. True, she was the most intelligent (and dared he say, beautiful) student of all Hogwarts, and she was also an Animagi, but that didn't change the fact that he was not supposed to be thinking of her every single minute. Too late now; since her sixth year, he'd caught himself with her on his mind more and more with each passing day. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he knew that there was something on his thoughts that shouldn't be there. The natural way would have been having paternal feelings about her, but his feelings were anything but paternal. He didn't know what they were, though.

He watched as she freed her hair from the ponytail, and laughed with a joke told by one of her many male friends. He had always been curious about the fact that she had more male than female friends. Sure, there were Poppy Pomfrey and Pomona Sprout, but other than that, just those good-looking boys all the girls from the school seemed to drool for. All the girls, except for her. She was different. Was that the reason he couldn't stop thinking of her, trying to discover the mystery that was Minerva Agatha McGonagall?

Because, yes, indeed, she was a mystery. No one could know what she was thinking or feeling unless she decided to show it. And he had stayed around long enough to know that there weren't many people who had seen her with her guard down. He smiled as he thought that he was one of the few people that had seen her crying. She was comfortable around him, they were very good friends, and for that he was grateful. He really didn't need his stupid thoughts to blow it for him.

"Hello, Professor Dumbledore" said a voice behind him.

"Oh, hello, Miss McGonagall." He answered with a smile; he hadn't noticed she had moved from her spot on the grounds, he had been too caught up thinking about _her_, of course. He put a hand on the small of her back and led her to an empty classroom.

"How are you today, Minerva?" he asked, throwing all formalities away when the door closed behind them.

"Melancholic. I can't believe this is my last day here. I have waited for my graduation since my first year, and now that it's here, I don't want it. Am I making any sense at all, Albus?"

"Of course you are, my dear." He chuckled, "And I understand you completely"

"It's just that… This castle has been my home for so many years. I've made friends here; I learned everything I know today here... I turned from a little girl to almost a woman here"

"Indeed, and you have every right to feel the way you do." He said, smiling.

"Albus, may I ask you a question?" when he nodded, she added, "Do you think I'm silly?"

He laughed.

"My dear, I could never think you silly. In fact, you're the most non-silly person I've ever met"

She smiled. He could cheer her up in a way anybody else could.

"I'm gonna miss you" she said quietly, hoping he hadn't heard.

"I'm going to miss you, too, Minerva" he said sadly. "But, remember: you are leaving Hogwarts, but that doesn't mean that that door is closing for you. Many more will open along the way, and this one certainly will continue open, inviting you to take a look and come back whenever you want to."

She nodded; she had always loved how his mind worked. She reached up to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you", she said as she moved to the door, "And, Albus?"

"Yes, Minerva?"

"I will come back. You can be sure of it" she said, and walked out of the door without looking back.

He smiled; yes, he was sure she would. He only hoped he could be alive to see it, to see her coming back.

He left the classroom closing the door behind him. He watched as the students walked by in front of him; no matter how many they were, they would never make him forget about one particular student. He would never forget _her._

_The End._

_A.N.: I know, I know, I know, you don't need to tell me, okay? I know this isn't my best piece. But I just had a bad day, and needed to write something. Review, please._

_2 down, 98 more to go._


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